Venetian blind.



J. PLATE.

VENETIAN BLIND.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. 1914.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEEf 1.

imwa

J. PLATE.

VENETIAN BLIND.

APPLICATION FILED MAY7.1914.

Patefited Feb. 13; 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENT @FFIQE.

- JOHN PLATE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

vnnnrmn BLIND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 113, 191?.

Application filed May'7, 1914. Serial No. 836,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. hat I, JOHN PLATE, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Venetian Blinds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to Venetian blinds and its object is to provide an improved mechanism for operating such blinds, or

raising and tilting at various angles the slatsthereof. And the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and incorporated in the appended claims.

I In the drawings V Figure 1 is an inside face view of a Venetian blind with my invention applied thereto.

Fig. .2 is an enlarged detail view taken substantially on line indicated by arrows 22 at the upper. left hand corner of Fig.

1 and representing one of the supporting brackets for the top rail or slat of the blind together with the pawl, check or stop mechanism by means of which the opening and closing, or tilting of the slats, of the blind is regulated, the position of the parts being normal and the slats tilted to closed position.

,Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but

showing the mechanism at the extreme positions away from normal under tension of the pulling cord and free to return to nor'-, mal when the pull on the cord is released.

Fig. 4 is a view of the parts shown in Figs. 2 and 3, but in a vertical plane at right angles "to the plane of said figures.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the parts shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 with the stop mechanism in an intermediate position.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged-view of the mechanism which clamps and releases the supporting cords by means of which the blinds are raised or lowered, or, in other words, the slats bunched or stacked together from below upwardly as in Fig. 1.- This figure is a view taken substantially on the line 66 indicated by arrows at the upper right hand corner ofFig. 1

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 6.

the vertical line indicated by the arrows ofFig. 6.

In the several views 2 represents the top rail or slat and 3 represents the bottom rail or slot of the curtain or blind, the intermediate slats being labeled 4. The lower rail 3 is connected with the top rail 2 by means of a pair of cords 5 and 6 which pass through a pair of eyes or loops 7 and 8 which are secured to the top rail 2. From the eye 8 the cord 6 passes downwardly through the slats 4 each of which has an elongated opening 9 therethrough for that purpose as shown in Fig. 5. From the loop' 8 the'cord 5 passes along the top rail to a loop 10 secured to the rail near its opposite end and from the loop or eye 10 the cord 5 passes downwardly through the slats l through openings 9 therethrough. The lower ends of the cords 5 and 6 are secured to the bottom rail 3, so that when both the cords 5 and 6 are grasped together as at 11 the bottom rail ,3 is raised stacking the slats successively on each other. The mechanism for automatically gripping the cords 5 and 6 to support the stacked slats and for releasing the cords, by pulling on a cord '12 (Fig. l), is arranged between the eyes 7 and 8 and is shown in the enlarged detail views of Figs. 6, 7 and 8. In these figures 13 is a base plate secured to the rail 2 by means of screws 14. From the base plate rises tubular studs 15 and 16 which are capped by a retainer-plate secured, together with the studs 15 and 16, to the base plate 13 by means of screws 18 and 19 which pass through said studs and plates into the top rail 2 as shown in Fig. 8. The stud 16 serves as a bushing around the screw 19, on which bushing is pivotally mounted a lever 20 which has a toothed eccentric gripping-toe 21 between which and the stud 15 the cords 5 and 6 are gripped when drawn to the left in Fig. 6, or when the. load of the slats is imposed upon them. When pulled to the right the gripping-toe releases its hold upon the cords. The lever 20 is tensioned to normally engage the cords 5 and 6, by means of a spiral spring 22 having its one end secured to the power end of the lever and the other end fastened to a screw 23 secured to the top rail 2. The lever is swung against the tension of the spring to release its gripping toes hold on the cords 5 and 6, by means of the cord 12 the upper end of which is passed through the eye of a screw eye 24 and is attached to the power end of the lever.

The mechanism for controlling the tilt of the slats 4, or the opening and closing of the shutters of the blind, is arranged at the left hand end ofth'e top rail in Fig; 1 and is shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 5. This mechanism is mounted on a bracket 25' which stands out at right angles from and a is secured to the window frame 26 by means of screws 27 which pass through a flange 28 on the bracket. on the bracket 25 is a stud 29 with a reduced upper end 30 in-which is a threaded hole 31. On the reduced portion 30 is pivotally mounted a hook,pawl, latch or detent 32 in which are four notches 33, 34, 35, and 36 to be engaged by a beveled stud 37 on a plate 38 on which is fixedly mounted a stud-shaft 39 which has a reduced outer end 40 that is mounted in a bore 41 in the bracket 25 for rotary movement. The plate 38 is secured to the end of the rail 2 by means of screws 42 and 43 which engage screw holes in said plate.

The hook 32 is held on the reduced end 30 of the stud 29 by means of a screw 44 which has threaded engagement with the bore 31 and between the head of said screw and the hook-32 is placed a washer 45. To the hook 32 ispivotally secured ona stud 46 on said hook a stop or tumbler 47 the lower end of which is engaged with a stud 48' on the bracket 25 to keep the" hook raised, as in'Fig. 3, out of the path of the stud 37, or to keep the notches in the hook from engaging said stud 37. Whenthe stud 37 has passed the notch 33 in the direction of the pivot of the hook said stud 37 engages the stop to release it from engagement with the stud 48 and permit thehook to drop down to haveeach of its notches successively engaged by the stud 37, as in Fig. 2, when the stud 37 is rotated-to the rlght in said figure. The rotation of the plate38'and the stud 37 thereon is accomplished by means of a cord 49 the upper,

end of which is secured, to a screw-eye 5O fastened to the top 'rail' 2. On the lower end of the cord is shown a handle 51.

in Fig. 1.

The rotation of the top rail i,21e,eses

in this raised "position by reason of the engagement of the lower end of the stop 47 on which isa beveled-portion v55 which I first engages the stop stud 48 and facilitates its mounting onto said stud 48.

, InyFig. 1 56, 57 and 58 are the usual strips of webbing to which the slats are,

connected in the usual manner for simultaneous tilting when the top rail is tilted. In Figs. 2 and ,3 59 represents a corresponding series of webbing strips on the oppo site side of the blind. The front and rear webbings are connected by flexible strips 60 on which the slats 4 rest and by means of which they are spaced apart.

In operation and starting from the position shown in Fig. 2 the slats 4 are tilted the first step toward horizontal position by pulling on the cord 49 until the lug 27 is engaged with the notch 33. The side of the notch in the direction of movement is beveled to permit the lug to glide over it and raise thehook sufficiently to engage the lug with the next notch 34 which opens the slats still more and so 'on until the full open or horizontal positions of the slats are reached. The sides of the notches 33 to 36 which engage the lug or stud 37 against its return movement are made more perpendicular to prevent the stud from slipping over them. To return the slats from any of their positions to normal or closed position the cord 49 is pulled to engage the stud 37 with the 'part 54 and thus disengage the stud from allof the notches until it strikes'the stop 47 and "releases the hook into operative position again.

. c Having thus described my invention I similar handle 52'is shown on the cord 12 with its end plate 38 determines the extent of tilt of the slats 4, or opening therebetween to letin the light. The four notches 33 to 36 represent four degrees of opening between the closed angle of the slat 4, in F 1g. 2 and the wide open or horizontal positlon in Fig. 5 where the stud 37 is in engagement with the fourth notch 36. When the stud 37 is rotated to the right beyond this notch 36 it 1s engaged with an incline 53 on a nose 54 on the hook which raises the teeth or notches on'the book out of the path of the stud 37 and supports the hook mechanism operating to release said top rail supporting means at the end of said rails turning movements. I

2. The combination with a Venetian blind,

adjusting movements and connected with of a supporting top rail mounted for rotary 4 the slats of the blind. to communicate such movements to said slats, a step by step controllingmechanism which prevents return rotation of said rail and an automatic release device which automatically releases said controlling mechanisrnwhen said rail reaches the end of its step by step rotations.

3. The combination with a pivotally supported top rail for a Venetian blind, .of

means for rotating said rail or support in one direction to tilt the slats of the blind, a step by step checking device which prevents return rotation of said rail, and a releasing device actuated by said checking device to s free said top rail to rotate back to starting point of said step by step movement, said releasing device being automatically rendered inoperative at the end of the-return rotation of said rail.

4:. The combination with a Venetian blind, of a cord for raising or stacking said blinds slats, means automatically gripping said cord to support said slats in raised position,

means for releasing the grip of said auto matic means, a rotatably mounted top rail, a cord for rotating said rail in one direction 9 to tilt the slats of the blind, a check control ed therewith the slats of the blind to cause the latter to move with said top rail, of a blind-raising cord and a top rail and slats tilting cord, automatic means for gripping the former cord to support the slats when raised, a releasing cord and mechanism connected therewith for releasing said gripping means, and a'mechanism operable by pulling said top rail and slats-tilting cord for controlling the opening and shutting of said slats, or tilting same at various angles.

Venetian blind and slats connected therewith to move together in opening and .shutting movements of the blind, of a notched hook, a stud rotatable with said top rai'l'and arranged to be engaged by a notch in said hook. to prevent return rotation of said rail, and means for raising said hook out of the path of return rotation of said stud.

7. The combination with a Venetian blind having a top rail with pivotally mounted ends, said top rail being connected with the slats of the blind to cause same to move with said top rail when it is turned on its pivots, a cord connected with said top railto rotate same inone direction for the purpose of tilting the slats of the blind, oropening and shutting the same with variable degrees of inclination, and means rendered operative by pulling on said cord for supporting said top rail, and slat in any of their adjusted open or closed positions.

8. In a Venetian blind, a top slat having trunnions at its ends ofi the center of said slat, supports for the trunnions, a pin projecting from one end of the top slat, a toothed pawl pivoted to the trunnion sup,- port adjacent to the pin, the teeth on said pawl being arranged in a straight line, the teeth of the pawl being adapted to engage the pin, a pivoted prop carried by the pawl, and a pin carried by the aforesaid support and engageable by the prop to hold the pawl elevated, the prop being disengageable from said pin by the first mentioned pin into the path of which latter the prop extends.

9. In a Venetian blind, a top slat having "trunnions at its ends, supports for the trunnions, a pin projecting from one end of the top slat, a toothed pawl pivoted to the trunnion support adjacent to the pin, the teeth on said pawl being arranged in a straight line, the teeth of the pawl being adapted to engage the pin, a pivoted prop carried by the pawl, and a pin carried by the aforesaid support and engageable by the prop to hold the pawl elevated, the prop being disengageable from said pin by the first-mentioned pin into the path of which latter the prop extends.

10. In a Venetian blind, a top slat having trunnions at its ends ofl the'center of said slat, supports for the trunnions, a pin projecting from one end of the top slat, a

toothed 'pawl pivoted to the trunnion sup- 6. The combination with the top rail of a port adjacent to the pin, the teeth on said pawl being arranged in a straight line, the teeth of-the pawl being adapted to engage the pin, said pawl having an incline over which the pin rides when the top slat is swung in one direction, said incline being arranged perpendicular to the line of teeth, whereby the pawl is elevated, a pivoted prop carried by the pawl, and a pin carried by the aforesaid support and engageable by the prop to hold the pawl elevated, the prop being disengageable by said pin by the first mentioned pin into the path of which latter the prop extends.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN PLATE.

Witnesses HERMAN WEIKTER, KARL PLATE. 

